Toni Fitzgerald-Gunn
Employment
Toni joined the Employment Department at Worthingtons Solicitors in July 2007, having graduated from University of Ulster at Jordanstown with a degree in Law and Government. Since obtaining her professional qualification from the Institute of Professional Legal Studies at Queens University Belfast in 2010, Toni has worked in the Employment Department, and was promoted to Partner in June 2021
Toni has successfully represented employees and employers at the Industrial Tribunal and Fair Employment Tribunal, and regularly advises clients in the public, private, and third sectors on both contentious and non-contentious issues. Toni has a keen interest in equal pay, public interest disclosure, TUPE, and holiday pay claims. She is a member of the Employment Lawyers Group and regularly writes employment law articles for local press.
The prompt advice and updating was extremely helpful. The importance of being consulted too cannot be underestimated. I was always conscious that this was actually our case and this was respected by the solicitor as we progressed.
Career Highlights
- Acts as principal employment advisor to large employers in NI;
- Successfully brought an equal pay case in Tribunal on behalf of a PPS lawyer, in the claim of Ciara Reilly v PPS & DFP;
- Successfully brought a disability discrimination case against a large government department resulting in an injury to feelings award in excess of £10,000, in the case of Rebecca Downie v DSD;
- Successfully defended a public interest disclosure case on behalf of Culture Company Ltd; a company established following the selection of Derry as the European City of Culture in 2013, in the case of Garbhan Downey v Culture Company 2013 Ltd;
- Involved the case of Patterson & Ors v Castlereagh Borough Council which related to holiday pay and was a landmark decision in the NI jurisdiction having been pursued at a time of legal uncertainty. Toni continues to advise employers on this area of law;
- Involved in the defence of a multiple County Court action for equal pay against a large NI employer;
- Conducts seminars and advises commercial businesses on non-contentious areas of law such as drafting and reviewing contracts of employment, policies and procedures, absence management, and compromise agreements; and
- Advocacy in Industrial Tribunal matters to include Case Management Discussions for Orders and Issues.
Toni Fitzgerald-Gunn's latest article
New Year, New Holiday Pay Regulations
As we embark on another new year, what better time than January for an employer to review their Annual Leave Policy? As of 01 January 2024, we have officially entered the...
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